《太古集》

In my youth, in the region of Yan and Zhao, I heard of the fame of Taigu Zhenren, yet I never had the chance to pay him my respects or listen to his teachings, and I have always felt this as a regret. Whenever I recall his bearing, it is as if I were longing for the figures of the immortal realms of Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang.

Now I have been fortunate enough to meet the Zhenren’s lineage successor (the one who inherits his methods of the Dao (the Way) and his transmission), Great Master Puzhao, Master Fan. Master Fan is intelligent and perceptive, and his mind is lucid. While he presided over the affairs of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) in Dongping, Daoists and laypeople alike revered him and relied upon him. His renown spread far, and people came in numbers even from a thousand li away. The faithful contributed funds to build ritual grounds, halls, kitchens for ritual meals, lodgings for guests, and storehouses; in a mere three or four years, the buildings completed numbered from several dozen to as many as a hundred.

One day Master Fan passed by my residence and said, “There is only one reason I have exerted myself to accomplish these meritorious works: I wish to promote my late teacher’s exemplary way in the Dao and let it be handed down. My late teacher, Taigu Zhenren, once had the Kunlun Collected Writings, but when they were printed in those years there were many errors and omissions. In my view, the guiding aims and standards of the Daoist tradition, and the root of Daoist learning, were borne by the Zhenren while he lived; after the Zhenren passed away, they are preserved in his writings. These writings cannot be parted from people for even a moment. Even if one were to build a brick-and-stone Buddhist pagoda and raise it to nine stories, that would not compare with transmitting the late teacher’s writings in full, so that the passing on of the essential teaching within them is not wrong by a single character.

“People see only that I am diligent in building and restoring Daoist abbeys, yet who knows that, in order to supply what was missing from the Kunlun Collected Writings and correct its errors, I have also spent a great deal of care and effort? The book has now been supplemented and revised. Why not write a preface for it?”

I replied, “From my youth I admired the Zhenren’s bearing, and I regretted only that I was never able to meet him. To attach my name now to this collection is truly fortunate. Still, what I heard in the past was all hearsay. You, Great Master, are his lineage successor; you were long close to the Zhenren and know his life best. Please recount one or two aspects of the Zhenren’s virtue and bearing, to be written into the preface, so that later generations may have something trustworthy to rely upon.”

Thereupon the Great Master copied out the Zhenren’s life and deeds in his own hand and showed them to me. The contents are as follows.

This ancestral master bore the secular surname Hao. For generations his family had lived in Ninghai, where they ranked among the great local households. His brothers all studied Confucian learning. His elder brother, named Junyan, passed the jinshi examination and rose to the honorary rank of Chaolie Daifu and the magistracy of Changyi County. The ancestral master alone was exceptionally intelligent from childhood, broad in insight, and unhurried in bearing, revealing a temperament that rose above the dusty world.

In the dinghai year of the Dading era, Perfected Chongyang (Zhenren) came from the land of Qin to the land of Qi. On reaching Ninghai and seeing the ancestral master for the first time, he judged that the master possessed the endowment to become an immortal. Later, at Mount Kunlun, Perfected Chongyang publicly transmitted the robe and alms bowl (the emblem of succession in the Daoist tradition). After receiving the robe and alms bowl, the ancestral master did not set himself up as one who had attained the Dao (the Way). He deliberately concealed his cultivation and often begged for food in the regions of Zhending, Xing, and Ming.

Once, as he passed the stone bridge south of Zhaozhou city, he sat there in silence, cross-legged and still, and remained for six years, never departing through cold or heat, wind or rain. Mischievous children, seeing him gaunt and withered like timber or clay, even hemmed him in with tiles and stones, yet he stayed calmly unmoved.

The younger daughter of the magistrate of Changyi had married Guo Changqian, vice-prefect of Zhending. Once she and Guo Changqian traveled together to Zhending, their carriages, horses, and ceremonial escort in full array, and their route passed the stone bridge. Hearing that the ancestral master was living beneath the bridge, the couple halted the carriage, paid their respects, and presented clothing and gifts of comfort, observing every courtesy. His expression was detached, as though he did not know them, and he accepted nothing that was offered. The lady was moved to tears, and Guo Changqian too was struck with wonder; after lingering a moment they departed. So resolutely did the ancestral master cut away worldly attachments that he could devote himself wholly to cultivating the Dao. As time passed, the cultivation of his Shen (spirit) gradually manifested a sympathetic response.

One day the ancestral master came to the south of Luancheng, where a divine being transmitted to him the Great Yi (the Classic of Changes). He suddenly attained complete awakening. From then on he could know many things beforehand, and his fame spread throughout the world. In the Da’an years the court bestowed on him the title “Guangning Quandao Taigu Zhenren” (Perfected Taigu of Guangning, Complete in the Dao). After receiving the Classic of Changes at Luancheng, whenever he foretold fortune or misfortune for others he was not off by the slightest degree. He also foreknew that his allotted span of life was seventy-three years. When that foreknown age arrived, after admonishing his disciples, he passed away without illness. He authored six cases of writings (six volumes, or six works). What the Veritable Record sets down is roughly as above. Yet the accounts long current in the regions of Yan and Zhao still do not fully recount all the deeds of this Perfected One.

After the preface was completed, the Master said to Feng Bi, “You wrote a preface for the late master’s collected writings, yet you included the deeds of establishing the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) teaching. I fear this may be somewhat superfluous.”

I replied, “Recorded sayings and narrative accounts serve to transmit the late master’s intent; the establishment of meritorious works serves to leave behind deeds that can be seen. I am seventy-five this year, and when I recall the reports I once heard in the Yan-Zhao region, they already seem to belong to another lifetime. Had the Master not gathered the late master’s surviving writings and retrospectively recorded the events of his life, the bearing and achievements left by the Perfected One would have had no way to be made manifest. How, then, could students of later generations easily come to understand them?

“Relying on the protection of the Perfected One, the Master established the meritorious works of the Zhengyi teaching and caused them to be widely celebrated in the east. Setting these deeds forth now is meant to inspire those who study the Dao (the Way), and to make it easier for them to understand the bearing and achievements the Perfected One left behind. The ancients said, ‘Although no elder of lofty virtue and high repute remains in the world, statutes and regulations may still serve as a standard.’ Alas—the meritorious works of the Zhengyi teaching may, I suppose, also be reckoned a standard left by the protective legacy of the Perfected One’s Dao.”

The Master replied, “Just so.”

The Master’s tabooed name was Yuanxi; he was a descendant of Duke Wenzheng, the renowned chief minister of the former Song. The preface was written by Feng Bi, formerly an Academician of the Hanlin Academy.

In the summer of the Guisi year I moved north from Daliang to Tongtai, and I heard that in Tianping there was a Daoist, Master Fan. His attainment in the Dao (the Way) was lofty and his reputation great; he cherished worthy men and was glad to help others, and he was an outstanding figure of the Dongzhou region. Most of the wandering scholars who came and went from every quarter sought him out, and he always did his utmost to relieve and care for them, never growing weary. I very much wished to pay him a visit, yet I never found the opportunity. Later I returned to my native place, and two years passed.

In the Bingshen year I traveled south. Hearing that Master Fan’s fame was greater still, I came to Dongyuan and at last was able to meet him. His conversation was broad and profound, his mind free and open; he seemed to drift above the dusty world. Both astonished and full of respect, I stayed at his Daoist abbey. We were together for more than twenty days, and a deep regard grew between us. When we were about to part, he brought out a volume and said, “This is the Taigu Geshi (Songs and Poems of Great Antiquity) of my teacher, Hao Kunyu. We now intend to have it recut and circulated, and I ask you to write a preface for it.”

I took the book and read it, and found that at the head of the volume there was already a preface inscribed by the venerable Feng, Neihan (an official title). I read it over and over and pondered it with care, and could not help exclaiming in admiration, “Is this not also a possessor of the Dao from ancient times? How exact the words, and how subtle the principle!”

I have often thought that scholar-officials, in their reading and study, always speak of aiding all under Heaven, assisting the ruler, and benefiting the people; yet aspiration frequently cannot keep pace with the times, and few are able to fulfill their hopes. Many therefore grow sorrowful and resentful, and end by injuring themselves. What is called aiding the world they cannot achieve, and perfecting themselves alone they also fail to accomplish—truly a cause for sighing.

Those cultivators of the Dao who stand outside the world have, from the outset, no plan to set the age right or rescue the world. They therefore cultivate with firm resolve, taking the nurturing of nature and life as their one essential task. Concentrated and diligent, careful and unremitting, their practice grows daily more refined. Even if they cannot ascend in broad daylight, they can still preserve body and Shen (spirit) and live out their years in health and vigor. Set beside those who chase external things, driven by empty fame and exhausting mind and energy to no benefit for the Daoist teaching, the difference is indeed very great.

Master Hao set his resolve in youth and never wavered. He lived alone in cultivation for many years, his integrity as pure as jade and as firm as the pine. Later, when he discoursed on the profound principles and the Yi (Book of Changes), his comprehension was penetrating and his mind and spirit were fully opened. He wrote books and established teachings, and his works have been transmitted to later ages. Master Fan, for his part, has been able to carry forward his teacher’s methods of the Dao and spread them widely, and has also arranged and printed the writings left behind, so as to enlighten scholars who come after. Both are outstanding figures among cultivators of the Dao beyond the world. Deeply moved by this, I have written this preface, to offer it to those of us who have been able neither to aid all under Heaven nor to perfect ourselves alone, as an occasion for self-examination.

In the eighth month of autumn of this year, Liu Qi of Hunshui composed this preface.

Our late master, Master Hao, the Perfected of Guangning, Complete in the Dao (the Way), and of Great Antiquity—that is, Hao Datong, a figure of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school of Daoism—met his teacher in Ninghai and received the transmission on Mount Kunlun. A divine being transmitted the Yijing (Classic of Changes) to him, and Da’an bestowed his religious name. These matters were already briefly recorded by earlier writers in the preface of Academician Feng of the Hanlin Academy, so they need not be repeated here. I offer only a few short remarks because I have been moved, and I set them down for those of us fellow practitioners who are lacking in both respects. In the eighth month of autumn of this year, Liu Qi of Hunshui composed this preface.

The life of our late master, the Perfected Hao of Guangning, Complete in the Dao and of Great Antiquity, has already been briefly recorded in Academician Feng’s preface and will not be repeated here. In ordinary times the master wrote a great deal, including one juan of the Sanjiao ru Yi lun (On the Three Teachings Entering the Changes), one juan of the Shijiao zhiyan (Candid Words of Instruction), one juan each of commentaries on the Heart Jing (Xinjing, the Heart Scripture) and the Jiuku Jing (the Scripture for Relieving Suffering), and the Taigu ji (Collected Works of Great Antiquity) in fifteen juan, which also contains one juan of a concise interpretation of the Zhouyi Cantong qi. After the master journeyed west, people in the Zhending region had already begun carving blocks and printing his books. After he withdrew into seclusion to spend his later years, he wrote many further works; and while the earlier collection was circulating, he also revised it from time to time.

Manuscript copies in the world are often full of errors. I had originally wished to collate and correct them anew, yet I never found the leisure. In my view, the master’s methods of the Dao alone grasped mysteries that had been lost through successive ages. He purified them by means of the hexagram images of the Yijing and joined to them what he had realized in meditative practice. The content is profound and far-reaching, and it rises above the ordinary world. Everyone hopes to read the words and writings he left behind. Now, however, mistaken characters are mixed in with the text, the genuine and the spurious are hard to tell apart, and later students are left bewildered. The disciples of his school are indeed responsible for this.

I, Yuanxi, am of limited ability. Sheltered by the master’s methods of the Dao, I am now able to live at the Zhengyi Palace (Palace of Orthodox Unity) in Dongyuan, sweeping and keeping its grounds, and I have gained a good deal of free time. With care I have collated the revisions our late master made in his later years, together with chapters the world has not yet seen, arranged them as a definitive text, and had them carved for circulation. I therefore venture to set this shallow preface at the head of the volume.

Those who have truly attained the Dao (the Way) look upon things with open and unobstructed understanding, holding that there is nothing that cannot be used to express principle. Thus, in writing, the foremost aim should be to clarify principle; one need not, like those in the world who make composition their sole pursuit, deliberately cultivate the parallel style of four- and six-character lines, strive for ornate diction and finely regulated prosody, and vaunt literary brilliance and personal bearing before one another.

The Chan school says: “Whether in coarse words or subtle speech, all can manifest the First Principle (the highest truth).” Those of Confucius’s school say: “It is enough that words convey the meaning.” They also say: “Only when one meets the author’s intent with one’s own mind has one truly understood what one reads.” If learners do not set their resolve upon the Dao, but merely chase after florid phrasing, how can this be the practice of “in pursuing the Dao one daily diminishes, diminishing and diminishing again” (cultivating the Way requires continually reducing selfish desires and attachments)?

In former times, those eminent teachers, upon hearing a single sentence or a single character from the master, held it sufficient to enable a person to attain the Dao and become an immortal. They later became the master’s disciples and kindred beyond the secular world; in daily life they received the master’s instruction and urging, and were often sternly rebuked. Such a teacher may well be called a Linji master within the Daoist tradition (a Chan master who instructs disciples through sharp and severe opportune words). Were he still alive today, he would surely raise high the command of the true Dharma and overawe all heaven and earth; even lions and elephant-kings would draw back and withdraw, and foxes and wild beasts (creatures of that kind) could still less gather about him. To think that he has already passed away truly fills one with endless lament.

Yet the master’s writings still remain. If one takes them up and reads them, they will surely leave one staring wide-eyed yet unable to take them in, mouth agape and tongue-tied, unable to speak.

On the day of the winter solstice in the bingshen year, Fan Yuanxi, rustic-robed of Kunlun and successor in the teaching, respectfully composes this preface.

The Great Dao (the Way)—the fundamental Way of the cosmos—is hazy and indistinct. From what has neither form nor image it brings forth what has form and image; the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth, in turn, gradually return from the formed and imaged to the formless and imageless. From the formless the formed can arise, and what has form can for this reason return again to the formless. Primordial Qi (vital energy)—the earliest and most fundamental Qi—comes into being before Heaven and Earth. After the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity become manifest, the myriad things gradually come into being.

In their movement and change, the myriad things show both growth and restraint, both benefit and harm, both smooth advance and adverse obstruction, both liking and aversion, both right and wrong. Things gather according to their kinds, and each divides into different groups. Between the honored and the humble there is an original order: when Heaven and Earth, above and below, work in harmony, the Way of peace and stability flourishes; when above and below lose due measure, a condition of blockage and impassability arrives.

At the very start of an affair, one should remain hidden and keep to stillness; when the time is ripe, one may rise and act. “Treading on frost” (a hexagram image in the Zhouyi: on seeing thin frost, one foresees that solid ice will come) shows that misfortune often begins in what is minute. When dragons contend, the blood that flows is black and yellow. The Zhun hexagram (symbolizing the hardship of first birth) favors holding to what is correct and dwelling in security; the Song hexagram (symbolizing dispute and litigation) requires keeping faith and acting with caution, so as to avoid falling into difficulty.

To set the ways of the age aright, one must begin with enlightenment, as the Tongmeng hexagram teaches; to make government orders clear, one should take warning from the ills revealed by the Gu hexagram and thereby remedy long-accumulated abuses. When advancing with firm strength, one must know how to wait for the proper moment; when acting with yielding compliance, one must also watch for signs of stripping away and decline. In going out and associating with others, what is valued is Tongren (harmony with the many); misfortune often begins with Daguo (exceeding proper measure).

The Gen hexagram governs stopping, and the Dui hexagram governs delight. The Bi hexagram speaks of ornament and adornment; the Li hexagram speaks of clinging and attachment. The Jian hexagram symbolizes hardship and obstruction; the Kan hexagram symbolizes danger and entrapment. The Kui hexagram means divergence and separation; the Heng hexagram means lasting endurance. Casting off the old and taking up the new can make the cauldron vessel secure; losing rule and measure brings the overthrow of the army. When brightness is clear and manifest, all under Heaven can see it; when traces of form are concealed, one may withdraw to dwell in mountains and forests.

If not for those who fully comprehend divine and wondrous transformation and possess the capacity for numinous response, who could grasp these principles? I once devoted myself to the study of the Zhouyi, selected and abridged material from the Zhengyi, and compiled the Cantong. I drew diagrams of the Two Modes, the Four Images, the Three Powers, the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the Six Pitch-pipes, the Nine Palaces, the Seven Governors, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and the like; I also marked the distribution of the stars and the paths along which the sun and moon travel, fusing the formed and the formless and rendering them as images.

I also wrote pieces expressing my feelings, together with poems, ci lyrics, songs, and rhapsodies composed in reply to questions and challenges. The whole work comprises fifteen juan, grouped into three cases. Out of admiration for the manner of high antiquity, I named this book the Taigu Ji.

As for the “Taigu” spoken of here, “Tai” refers to the initial stages of the cosmos, such as Taiyi (the Great Change), Taichu (the Great Beginning), Taishi (the Great Commencement), and Taisu (the Great Simplicity); “Gu” refers to remote ages, such as the far ancient, high antiquity, deep antiquity, and everlasting antiquity.

What is called “taigu” takes “tai” to refer to the stages before heaven and earth came into being, such as Taiyi (Great Change), Taichu (Great Beginning), Taishi (Great Commencement), and Taisu (Great Simplicity), and takes “gu” to mean distant antiquity, high antiquity, deepest antiquity, and immemorial antiquity. It is put this way in the hope that later people who admire the methods of the Dao (the Way) will understand that these statements are not invented out of nothing.

Of all the grand aspects within heaven and earth, none surpasses heaven and earth; of all the manifest processes of change and operation, none surpasses Yin-Yang. The refined essence of heaven and earth and the root of Yin-Yang are called the “two Qi” (vital energy). The Wood Dragon, the Metal Tiger, the Red Phoenix, and the Black Tortoise are called the Four Images; six, seven, eight, and nine are the numbers employed; the daogui, lead, and mercury are the materials needed to generate the myriad things; and the meeting and union of Shen (spirit) and Qi speak of the principle of nature and life.

The various names—Purple Prefecture and Elixir Palace, Numinous Terrace and Emerald Halls, Jasper Towers and Crimson Gate-towers, Jade Grotto and Pearl Curtains, Mysterious Pass and Yang Path, Earth Door and Heaven Gate, Jade Liquid and Metal Essence, Yellow Sprout and White Snow, True Water and True Fire, the Lovely Maiden and the Infant, the Stone Man and the Wooden Horse, the Nine Worms and the Three Corpses, the Metal Elder and the Yellow Matron, the numinous herb and cinnabar, and others like them—are all used to explain the principles by which the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) circulate and transform, and by which creation generates things. Quite a few are also symbolic expressions in the practice of Neidan (internal alchemy), borrowing images of things to stand for changes in body and mind, in Yin-Yang, and in Jing (essence) and Qi.

In sum, cultivating the Dao requires forgetting the distinction between movement and stillness, so that mind and nature become perfectly luminous, the foundation of life is made secure, and one accords with ziran (the spontaneous). The Dao of ziran is in itself easy to recognize and to practice, yet few people in the world can do so, because desire and disordered thoughts obstruct it.

If a person can cast off the false and follow the real, rise above the constraints of worldly custom without being bound by fixed conventions, live amid the secular without sinking into the ordinary, stand alone without changing, keep to original genuineness without abandoning it, and circulate throughout without slackening, then that person draws near the way of the immortals. Yanzi had the De (Virtue/Power) of “sitting and forgetting” (zuowang), and Meng Ke had the practice of nurturing innate nature; both were devoted wholly to a single matter.

What is set out here is the general meaning, with many different names assigned to one and the same principle. Although the paths and the ways of speaking differ, what they ultimately return to is the same; the names are many, yet the principle they express is one. This is explained in order to help later students, so that the mind of the Dao may be firm and one’s observance pure and impartial. If one can make one’s resolve firm and persist to the end, one can be entered in the register of immortals, become a Perfected Person (zhenren), obtain spiritual powers and transformations, and ascend in feathered transformation.

Seen in this light, what does not accord with our school is not admitted, and what does not accord with our Dao is not affirmed. The saying “it is so as so; it is so in what is not so, and yet so” means according with the principle that seems as if it cannot be so, yet in fact is spontaneously so.

In the eighteenth year of the Dading era (1178), a wuxu year, on the sixth day after the full moon of midwinter (the fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month), the author’s own preface.

Volume One of the Taigu ji

Composed by Guangningzi Hao Datong

A Concise Explanation of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi, with Preface

The teaching is the path by which the Dao (the Way) is transmitted. The Dao originally has no name and is only provisionally called the “Dao.” The teaching originally has no form and becomes manifest only through language. The essence of the teaching embraces both being and non-being: expressed without words, it concerns the fundamental substance of the Dao; expressed in words, it concerns concrete things and practical application. The essential meaning is now explained, and a preface is composed.

The reason transformative teaching can be put into practice is that the Dao (the Way) is the source from which the myriad things arise. The Dao originally has no name; it is only under compulsion that one calls it “Dao.” Transformative teaching is originally formless and becomes manifest only through words. Its essentials embrace both being and non-being: when not expressed in words, it is embodied in the very substance of the Dao; when expressed in words, it is realized in concrete things and their functions. In experiencing its substance, one may call it “non-being”; in applying its efficacy, one may say that it benefits human beings.

If what has form is produced from what has no form, then from where do Heaven and Earth come into being? If transformative teaching is used to awaken the unknowing, then from where does true wisdom appear? When the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) first divided, the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—each took their proper place. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) were distributed within the hidden depth of the origin, and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) were arrayed across the vast expanse. The sun, the moon, and the five planets each followed their own course; the celestial bodies proceeded in sequence, and the guiding order was clearly set. The myriad phenomena appeared in Heaven, and every kind of living being grew upon the Earth.

Therefore the sage looks up to observe the patterns of Heaven and looks down to examine the configurations of Earth, arranging and assisting the transformative nurture of Heaven and Earth, according with the four seasons so that the myriad things may grow, and penetrating change so as to carry out the affairs of ghosts and spirits. Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) circulate without a fixed gate, and the brightness of Shen (spirit) lies hidden without a fixed dwelling. When all is still and unmoving, the myriad things are silent; once there is a responsive stirring, communion becomes possible.

Those who cultivate the true and attain the Dao—people who practice in order to seek the true and realize the Great Dao—apply this principle. Through De (Virtue/Power) they transform and nurture the four quarters, and their wisdom surpasses the Three Realms (in Daoism, the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm). When they ascend, it is like the dragon’s chant and the tiger’s roar; when they withdraw, it is like the snake in hiding and the turtle in repose. In their coming and going, their departure and return, spirits cry out and ghosts and wraiths wail. Between extension and withdrawal, both things and the self may be forgotten.

At this moment lightning illuminates the eight directions and thunder shakes the three mountains. Immortal cranes take flight and phoenixes dance; deer wheel about and sheep turn back. Harmonious Qi fills all, and auspicious clouds spread densely. The host of spirits stands arrayed, and the throng of demons retreats. The Mysterious Pearl—symbolizing inner true nature, or the spiritual clarity attained through cultivation—bursts forth from the Spirit Terrace, the dwelling place of mind and spirit, and the numinous mushroom grows in the Purple Palace, the abode of immortals spoken of in Daoism. The flower of awakening has only just bloomed, yet the sea of the teaching is already deep and vast. One enters directly into the Mysterious Capital, a Daoist realm of the immortals, and forever transcends the dusty world.

What are called “a hair swallows the great sea, and a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru”—the extremely minute can contain the extremely vast—together with a wooden horse neighing and a stone person singing in response, are all expressions used after awakening to describe this realm. Because it is hard to put into words, one has no choice but to resort to these metaphors.

If one applies this Dao and accords with what is natural, the two modes of Yin-Yang are in order and the myriad things are harmonious. If one acts against it, the Six Positions—the various stations of Yin-Yang transformation—fall into disorder, and the Five Phases lose their balance. Unless one has reached a realm of the utmost height and the utmost mystery, who could accomplish this? Therefore I briefly set forth this text of mystery and select its essential points. This preface was written in the eighteenth year of Dading, on the nineteenth day of the first month of summer in the wuxu year.

The principles of the Yijing take Qian—the firm and vigorous way of Heaven—as the gate, and Kun—the gentle and compliant way of Earth—as the door. They take Beichen (the North Star) as the pivot, drive change through the movements of the sun and moon, entrust the four seasons with ordering time, and use the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) to explain how things transform and circulate. They take emptiness and stillness as the root, conformity with change as the function, firmness and softness as the basis, and purity and quiescence as the standard. Clouds and rain nourish the myriad things; the myriad phenomena serve as patterns to be followed. All things are regarded as issuing from a single whole. Fortune and misfortune are treated as changes that constantly occur; life and death are taken as the fundamental transformations of the myriad things; and being and non-being form the content of teaching and transformation.

Thus, whether teaching and transformation can be realized depends on the person; whether one can grasp the root and apply it well depends on the heart-mind; and whether one can respond to change and attain free understanding depends on Shen (spirit—the spiritual faculty and luminous clarity). A single Shen commands spirits without number; a single method embraces methods without bound; a single heart-mind leads hearts and minds without count. From ancient times to the present, this one current of principle has continued without break, seeming at once to exist and not to exist. This is a brief explanation of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi.

The celestial body accords with the Dao (the Way): vast and boundless, clear, still, and empty, profound and far-reaching, its pure Yang Qi (vital energy) free of any impurity.

In the working of the Way of Qian, beneficence extends to the myriad things. It moves without cease, responds to things and transforms, and is never exhausted.

It is skilled at beginnings and proceeds smoothly to open understanding; it gathers the host of spirits and comprehends the principles and innate natures of things.

Xihe—the legendary deity who governs the movements of the sun and moon—is upright, correct, and firm. Through harmonious coordination the myriad things receive benefit, and what is steadfast, correct, and upright is maintained.

How grand and ultimate is this wondrous principle! Modeling oneself on it in cultivating the Dao and in conducting affairs, one adapts flexibly as times and circumstances change and thereby attains free passage.

Xuanyuan Shengzu, the Daoist honorific for Laozi, establishes norms for later generations, so that the radiance of the Dao sheds its grace over all under Heaven.

The myriad things all draw sustenance from this; each thing, according to what suits it, makes use of the working of the Way of Qian.

The Way of Qian governs the movement of cloudy vapor and rain, setting the clouds in flow and the rain in descent, so that favor reaches the myriad spirits with neither obstruction nor concealment.

One can understand the principle of the myriad things from beginning to end: at the start they lie hidden, and at the close they leap forth. When it is time to lie hidden, they lie hidden; when it is time to rise vigorously, they rise. This is to comprehend the Dao of transformation from start to finish.

In accord with the season, one mounts and rides the Six Doors—the temporal positions and junctures of change that correspond to the six lines.

Yang has six patterns of operation, and Yin likewise has six. The power of firm vigor is applied in accordance with the moment and remains consistent throughout. If one does not act with the time—leaping forth when one ought to lie hidden, lying hidden when one ought to leap forth; bringing forth life when one ought to strike down, striking down when one ought to bring forth life—then the six positions fail to accord with the moment and instead bring harm.

“Subduing the tiger and flying as the dragon” means taming the fierce tiger and soaring like a dragon, a figure for mastering the transformations of Yin-Yang.

Yin Qi (vital energy) lies latent while Yang Qi rises and spreads; Yang Qi governs generation and growth, and Yin Qi governs austere destruction.

“Ordering the ages and commanding the cosmos” means harnessing time and space, heaven and earth.

Rising and falling never cease, and the cycle turns without end.

Power is transformed and becomes effective function.

This is the principle of putting change to use: the old is cast away and the new is opened. What is carried out by degrees and altered slowly is called bian (gradual change); what is now present and now absent, a sudden shift, is called hua (sudden transformation). The so-called Dao (the Way) of Qian—the firm and vigorous course of Heaven’s Dao—both changes the myriad things gradually and transforms them all at once. By its own powers of initiation, generation, and nurture it brings the myriad things into being, and it governs functions both hidden and minute and those that are manifest.

Rectify one’s original nature, so that nature and life, through their Dao, support and complete one another.

The operation of the Dao (the Way) of Qian is manifested in unceasing change. The power of change enables all things each to set right their nature and their destiny. What is called “nature” is the inborn endowment, such as the differences between firmness and softness, or between slowness and quickness; what is called “destiny” is the allotted portion a person receives, such as high or low station, long life or early death, and the like.

From this one can see that the formless Dao gives birth to all things that have form, while things that have form are also encumbered by their bodily shapes. Only the Dao of Heaven, though manifest within all things, can still move with firm vigor and remain unencumbered. This means according with change and directing all things: single-minded when at rest, upright when in motion, and never losing harmony and centered rightness. When the Dao of Qian is quiet, it is single-minded and does not change; when it turns, it is upright and does not stray into deviation. That it does not lose its harmony and propriety—is this not precisely the true condition of setting nature and destiny aright?

The Dao of Qian can bring the nature and destiny of all things each to what is proper, while all things each have their own character and condition. The essential quality received at birth is called “nature”; the thoughts and deliberations that arise from moment to moment are called “feeling.” From the side of what is genuine and proper, the essential point is to preserve original nature; from the side of what is partial and deviant, the problem lies in emotional thoughts. When deviant emotional thoughts are removed and original nature is preserved, one’s allotted destiny naturally returns to correctness and lends its support.

Only by preserving and gathering the Qi (vital energy) of supreme harmony will the firm vigor of the Dao of Qian not become excessively fierce. If harmonious compliance is lacking, all things can scarcely benefit, and they will also lose their proper state. Only when one can preserve and join together the Dao of Great Harmony can it be made lasting and secure, so that all things each set right their nature and destiny and thereby long endure.

“Benefit through steadfast correctness”: one makes the Dao of Qian firm and keeps it correct, and thereby benefits all things.

“Concentrated firmness and upright gentleness”: inwardly one maintains firm vigor, single-minded and unwavering; outwardly one employs the way of gentleness, holding to uprightness without deviation.

“Shaping the many by rule and measure”: the noble person is thereby able to follow standards in bringing all things to completion, and continually carries out teaching and moral transformation.

The noble person ought to spur himself on and press steadily forward.

Ceaseless in its movement, turning full circle and beginning again, firm and strong and yet robust and vigorous—thus the Dao (the Way) of the gentleman is made complete. “Jun” means to lead and preside; “zi” carries the sense of loving care. One who stands in a superior position ought to cherish the people and bring relief to all things. Those who study the Dao must thoroughly understand the Dao of Qian—the way of Heaven’s operation—and put it to use, widely performing what is beneficial, without pause by day or night, neither growing slack nor falling back. The gentleman ought to strengthen himself and press on without rest, thinking only of bestowing favor upon the many.

These teachings are worthy of being practiced.

This is to say that the gentleman discerns principle and applies it in handling affairs: inwardly firm and vigorous, outwardly humble and mild; single-minded when at rest, upright when in action. Just as the clouds travel and the rain falls, and the four seasons each proceed in their proper order, all things thereby grow, and every kind of life receives nourishment without partiality.

The great earth embodies the vastness of the Dao,

steady, weighty, and substantial, with nothing it cannot bear.

The Dao of Kun—the virtue of Earth’s yielding capacity to uphold—is brought forth in depth and breadth.

Gentle, yet able to bear, it contains every kind of defilement, and meets all living beings with a way of compliance and harmony, understanding the principles of affairs and discerning the conditions of the myriad things. Like the Dao of Qian—the virtue of Heaven’s firm vigor—its De (Virtue/Power) is profound and vast.

It nourishes and benefits living beings of every kind,

causing the various classes of spirits and of things to grow and multiply. From this the myriad things arise, each attaining a development that is open and unhindered.

In the conduct of affairs it is thorough and complete, and everywhere there is free passage.

In accord with the tendency of the times and in dealing with things, it can bend itself so as to bring others to fulfillment.

The gentleman moves through the world with ease,

holding to what is correct through yielding compliance, and thereby accomplishing fine achievements.

By the way of yielding compliance he transforms those who are firm and strong.

He does not rush to initiate action, but waits for the other to move first and only then responds. Humble, and content to dwell below, he lets his own radiance appear; if he himself can let others go ahead, others in the end will also bring him some advance. By first taking the side of yielding compliance, one is able to transform the side that is firm and strong.

The southwest is unfavorable:

if the softness of Yin cannot establish itself firmly, one’s undertakings may come to harm.

The northeast is where merit may be established.

Will and intention are joined in harmony, and the disposition is gentle; yet when matters arise they can be settled decisively, without selfishness or partial bias. What is spoken of here is precisely this principle.

Following this through so as to arrive there,

one holds to what is correct and thereby fulfills one’s aims, which favors the preserving of the constant Dao.

One follows the ancestral manner of the lineage of the Yellow Emperor.

One acts only according to the correct Dao, and is able to adjust as circumstances change.

So that all things may grow,

its wondrous functioning is broad and great, and nothing is left out or held at a distance.

It receives and complies with the will of Heaven above.

In one’s conduct one does not go against ritual propriety and law, and one’s disposition is gentle and compliant, not wayward or perverse.

Great De (Virtue/Power) is able to bear the myriad things; by holding to what is upright and according with one’s resolve, one can help preserve the constant Dao (the Way).

Huangwei (the name of a body of water in ancient legend) carries on the ethos of the lineage.

One follows only the correct Dao, changing flexibly with the times, and nurtures the myriad things. The wondrous working of the Dao is vast and profound; there is nothing it cannot encompass, and nothing lies far from it.

One receives and complies with the will of Heaven.

In one’s conduct one does not go against ritual propriety and law, and one’s disposition is gentle and compliant, not wayward or perverse. Great De is able to bear the myriad things, receiving and embracing them with the utmost softness and compliance, and therefore does not disturb the community.

The highest principle is without end. Dwelling in the central position and holding to the correct Dao, one lets things develop of their own accord.

One’s mind is broad and generous, and its light blazes bright; one restrains one’s sharp edge, harmonizes with others, and in advancing and retreating, in bowing and rising, never regards oneself as exceptional.

The myriad things each find their own kind; harmonious Qi (vital energy) fills them and grows clear. The myriad things live by means of harmonious Qi. When words and deeds accord with the good Dao, one continually advances; the Dao reaches every kind of thing. To persevere without ceasing from beginning to end is how the gentleman shows that he holds to what is correct.

True appearance is not a fixed form. By honoring the Dao and practicing the correct Dao, one brings the mandate received from Heaven to fulfillment; turning back to observe and examine within, one understands that the so-called real appearance does not truly exist. The real appears only where there is no form, for the real does not cling to form.

True emptiness is not a state in which there is nothing at all. One clings neither to a ruling master nor to deliberate making; emptiness is not an object that can be grasped and held fast. What is called the real that is not empty is so precisely because the real is not nothingness.

To bring to completion the various wondrous functions of the myriad things, one should be plain and not lavish, cultivate humane virtue, and hold to the correct Dao.

Vessels accord with the mysterious Dao: pure and undefiled, one steadies the will and keeps to the Dao with single-minded attention; broad in mind and universal in conferring benefit, one handles affairs with centered correctness and without bias. One meets gain, loss, and change with ease, and, in accord with the times, brings the fruit of one’s Dao to completion.

End of Volume One of the Taigu ji.

Volume Two of the Taigu ji, composed by Guangningzi Hao Datong.

Illustrated Explanations of the Diagrams of the Zhouyi Cantong qi: The Various Diagrams of Qian.

Qian represents the function of Heaven, while Heaven is the substance of Qian. Heaven is clear and luminous, lofty and boundless, because it is pure Yang without admixture: a single Qi (vital energy) moves in the hidden depths and thereby transforms and generates the myriad things. Human beings may therefore emulate the function of Heaven, but they cannot emulate the substance of Heaven. It is thus called the image of Qian, also known as old Yang, and its number is nine. The Qian trigram represents Heaven and is formed of three strokes; the three strokes multiplied together yield nine. When the strokes are doubled into six yao, each yao is called “nine.” The configuration of the Dao (the Way) of Heaven resembles an inverted canopy and is shaped like an egg. Heaven is paired with Kun—the trigram image representing Earth—as its wife, and they give birth to six children.

Diagram of the Image of Kun

Kun represents the function of Earth, while “Pei” represents the substance of Kun. Earth is deep and thick, vast and broad, and able to bear the myriad things, because it is pure Yin without admixture. The two Qi of Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) rise and fall in alternation, causing the myriad things to change. Human beings may therefore emulate the function of Earth, but they cannot emulate the substance of Earth. It is thus called the image of Kun, also known as old Yin, and its number is six. The Kun trigram represents Earth and is formed of six strokes, and is therefore called “six”; when the strokes are doubled into six yao, each yao is called “six.” The trigram image of Heaven has three strokes; adding the six strokes of the Kun trigram is why the number is called nine. Earth belongs to old Yin, and its number is six.

Diagram of the Image of the Sun

The sun is the Jing (essence) of the sun, and it symbolizes the Li trigram. Its number is seven, and it is called young Yang. In the Li trigram the upper and lower strokes are long strokes and the middle is a short stroke, totaling four strokes; adding the three strokes of the Qian trigram yields the number seven. Qian represents the Dao of Heaven. It covers and shelters the myriad things; it is clear and bright, open and spacious, lofty and vast, pure Yang without admixture, with a single Qi moving in the hidden depths, and is therefore called old Yang. Although the sun is not as vast as Heaven, it can cast its light toward the four directions and shine upon the whole world. When the sun rises it is day, and when it sets it is night; it is therefore called young Yang.

Diagram of the Likeness of the Moon

The moon is the Jing (essence) of Supreme Yin (Taiyin), and it symbolizes the Kan trigram. The number of the Kan trigram is eight, and so the moon is called “Young Yin” (Shaoyin). This is because the upper and lower strokes of Kan are short and the middle stroke is long, making five strokes in all; when the three strokes of the Qian trigram are added, the total comes to eight.

The Dao (the Way) of Kun, the Earth, is able to bear all things, and so it is called “Old Yin” (Laoyin). The light of the moon waxes and wanes; after it rises, it illuminates the night, its radiance inexhaustible and as vast as the earth, and therefore it is called “Young Yin.” The sun and the moon are both children of Heaven and Earth. They can partake of the nature of the Qian trigram, yet they cannot partake of the nature of the Kun trigram. This is what is meant by “the child follows the father.”

Diagram of the Communion of Heaven and Earth

When the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth intermingle, this is “Tai” (Peace); when they do not commune with one another, this is “Pi” (Standstill). The Yang Qi of Heaven descends into the Earth, and the Yin Qi of Earth rises to Heaven: this is called the intercourse of Heaven and Earth, and it forms the image of Tai. If the Qi of Heaven ascends upward and the Qi of Earth sinks downward, the two Qi cannot interact in mutual response, and all things are hindered and blocked, unable to circulate freely. Therefore Heaven and Earth should commune, and all things should be open and at peace; where there is no openness and peace, there is obstruction.

In the movement of the Dao of Heaven, the eleventh year is Tai and the twelfth year is Pi. Within one ji (a cycle of twelve years) are contained the changes of Tai and Pi.

Diagram of the Conjunction of the Sun and Moon

When the sun and moon meet and come into conjunction, there are also times when they seem to meet but have not actually joined; from this the lunar phases, such as shuo and wang, arise. The sun completes one circuit of the heavens in a year, and the moon completes one circuit of the heavens in a month. In a year without an intercalary month there are twelve months in all. Each month has a point at which the sun and moon meet; hence it is said that when the sun and moon stand apart from each other, this is called shuo (the new moon). Shuo means the break of day. On the first day of each month the sun and moon meet beneath the sun, and that day is called shuo. When the sun and moon stand opposite each other, this is called wang (the full moon); when the lunar phase has changed to one quarter, this is called xian (the quarter moon). All of these are times when the sun and moon have not met. When the moon’s light has completely disappeared and the body of the moon is hidden, this is called hui (the end of the month); at that time the sun and moon are relatively near and approach conjunction.

Diagram of the Odd Images of the Numbers of Heaven

Heaven belongs to pure Yang and has the Yang numbers: one, three, five, seven, and nine, totaling twenty-five, which constitute the Yang numbers of the hexagram Qian. Yang numbers are called “odd” (qi); they take the four directions as their proper positions and also include the number of the center. The numbers of Heaven are five; multiplying them together yields the numbers of transformation belonging to the odd. Hence it is said: the north is one, the east is three, the south is seven, and the west is nine, while the center also belongs to the central position; the center is five. All of these are Yang numbers. One, three, five, seven, and nine are the Yang numbers.

Diagram of the Even Images of the Numbers of Earth

Earth belongs to pure Yin and has the Yin numbers: two, four, six, eight, and ten, totaling thirty, which constitute the Yin numbers of the hexagram Kun. Yin numbers are called “even” (ou); they take the four directions as their proper positions and also include the number of the center. Hence it is said: the east is eight, the west is four, the north is six, the south is two, and the center is ten; all of these are Yin numbers. The Yin numbers are two, four, six, eight, and ten. The form of Earth is square by nature, and so it is called even; the body of Heaven is round by nature, and so it is called odd.

Diagram of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions Overlying the Four Images

The celestial images comprise the twenty-eight lunar mansions (xiu; twenty-eight groups of asterisms divided along the regions of the sky), and the circuit of heaven measures three hundred and sixty degrees. The form of Earth is square, and so it is called even; the body of Heaven is round, and so it is called odd.

The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (the ancients divided the stellar regions near the ecliptic into twenty-eight mansions) are distributed across the heavens. The degrees of the mansions’ motion total three hundred sixty-five and one quarter degrees and are apportioned among the twelve celestial fields; this is the constant course of the stars. The sun, the moon, and the five planets corresponding to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), taken as references in the latitudinal direction, revolve in cycles around the circuit of heaven and thereby give rise to all manner of change.

The sky is divided into the four corners and the four cardinal directions. East, south, west, and north each have their corresponding positions, coordinated with the movements of Heaven and Earth and of the sun and moon. The four quarters correspond respectively to the Four Symbols (ancient groupings of stellar mansions representing the four directions)—the Azure Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Dark Warrior: the Azure Dragon in the east, the Vermilion Bird in the south, the White Tiger in the west, and the Dark Warrior in the north.

Heaven and Earth each occupy their proper places, while the sun and moon move without cease. The eight nodes (Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice) and the four seasons likewise succeed one another of their own accord. Heat passes and cold arrives; spring departs and autumn comes, and thus the cycle of the year is completed. Within a year there are seventy-two hou (periods into which the ancients divided time according to phenological change). A hou is a sign that appears in its due season: the myriad things change naturally with the solar terms, and every five days, with about seven fen added, counts as one hou. From the Beginning of Spring to Great Cold, the year comprises twelve such sequences (that is, the temporal order of the twelve months), and the various phenological signs appear in accordance with the seasonal climate.

The River Chart is a diagram formed of the odd and even numbers of Heaven and Earth, the numbers totaling fifty-five. The chart and writing spoken of here, however, comprises forty-five numbers, distributed within the Nine Palaces (a pattern that divides the directions into nine cells), in a form resembling a tortoise: the head is nine, the tail is one, the left side is three, the right side is seven, two and four are like the two shoulders, and six and eight are like the two feet. This is a configuration of images and numbers that arises of itself. The numbers on the tortoise’s back correspond to the Five Phases and may be used to infer the coming and going of things and to divine good and ill fortune. Therefore the sages, by means of these numinous objects, come to understand the De (Virtue/Power) of spiritual clarity and, by analogy of the same kind, the circumstances of the myriad things. Heaven brings forth numinous objects, and the sages then fashion charts and writings according to their forms.

One, three, five, seven, and nine are odd numbers; they belong to Yang within Yin-Yang and occupy the center and the four cardinal positions. Two, four, six, and eight are even numbers; they belong to Yin and occupy the four corners. The earthly number ten is hidden within the belly of the dragon and does not appear; therefore only its number is retained, and it is not drawn.

Diagram of Change.

The principles of the Yi (Classic of Changes) cannot be fathomed without the marvelous work of creative transformation, nor known without the wisdom of the sage. Thus there is first Taiyi, referring to Qi (vital energy) not yet made manifest; next is Taichu, when Qi begins to form; then Taishi, when physical form begins to take shape; and finally Taisu, when material substance begins to form. When Qi, form, and substance are all present yet have not separated from one another, this state is called Hundun. After Hundun differentiates, the two modes of Yin-Yang each have their proper order, and the myriad things are thereby generated through transformation.

What precedes Hundun is called non-being; what follows Hundun belongs to being. Being and non-being intermingle to form Hundun. The meeting and blending of the Yin and Yang Qi of Heaven and Earth and of the sun and moon is precisely the moment when Yin and Yang join in harmony and the myriad things are conceived.

The Five Phases (Wuxing) are water, fire, earth, metal, and wood. The numbers of Heaven and Earth pair with one another to generate the Five Phases: Heaven’s one joins with Earth’s six to produce water; Earth’s two joins with Heaven’s seven to produce fire; Heaven’s three joins with Earth’s eight to produce wood; Earth’s four joins with Heaven’s nine to produce metal; and Heaven’s five joins with Earth’s ten to produce earth. The numbers of Heaven and Earth total fifty-five, and from these the Five Phases are generated.

According to the sum of each group of numbers, water obtains seven, fire nine, wood eleven, metal thirteen, and earth fifteen. These numbers show how the numbers of Heaven and Earth generate the Five Phases.

The Ten Heavenly Stems (Tiangan) of the Celestial Origin are assigned to the Five Phases (Wuxing): Jia and Yi belong to Wood, Bing and Ding to Fire, Geng and Xin to Metal, Ren and Gui to Water, and Wu and Ji to Earth.

The quality of Wood symbolizes spring and gives birth to all things; it governs the hun (ethereal soul), and its numinous Qi (vital energy) appears in the young shoots. The quality of Fire symbolizes summer and makes all things grow; it governs nature, and the Qi of Shen (spirit) appears in the flowers. The quality of Metal symbolizes autumn and brings all things to maturity and form; it governs the po (corporeal soul), and its Qi appears in the fruit. The quality of Water symbolizes winter and brings all things to completion; it governs life, and the Qi of Jing (essence) appears in the roots. The flourishing Qi of Earth runs through the four seasons and is at work in each of them.

Diagram of the Three Powers Entering the Furnace of Creative Transformation

The Way of the Three Powers (Sancai) refers to Heaven, Earth, and humanity. The Celestial Origin is formed by the Ten Heavenly Stems, the Terrestrial Origin by the Twelve Earthly Branches, and the Human Origin by the Five Phases and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The three are matched with the stems and branches, the Five Phases, and the images of the trigrams; they enter the Void and emerge again from the Void. Within the Void, all things thereby grow, mature, and reach completion, and this process never ceases. Although all things take form through deliberate making, the root of their creative transformation is Wuwei (non-action).

The furnace is divided into three levels and has twelve gates in all. Fire stands at the center and is used to refine the true Qi of the Three Powers, until at last they are united in the Dao (the Way).

Diagram of the Eight Trigrams Receiving the Cauldron and Refining the Elixir

The Eight Trigrams (Bagua) are gathered within the cauldron (ding): Qian symbolizes Heaven, and Kun symbolizes Earth; Zhen symbolizes the dragon rising with vigor from the thunder, and Xun symbolizes the tiger coming into being by means of the wind; Kan symbolizes clouds turning into rain and falling, and Li symbolizes the flashing of lightning; Gen symbolizes the mountain in communication with Qi (vital energy), and Dui symbolizes the waters of the marsh moistening the myriad things and bringing them joy.

Qian is firm and vigorous, setting change in motion; Kun is soft and yielding, receiving and turning in accord with it. From this arise the three yang trigrams, Zhen, Kan, and Gen, and the three yin trigrams, Xun, Li, and Dui, which hold subtle and wondrous functions beneficial to the myriad things. Phenomena such as thunder, wind, clouds, rain, and lightning originally appear out of the clear sky and in the end return to the clear sky; for this reason it is called the “cauldron.” The cauldron is a vessel heated by fire from below. Within it, Heaven and Earth are refined and transformed, together with the things symbolized by the Eight Trigrams—thunder, wind, fire, mountain, water, marsh, and the like—until at last the Great Elixir (dadan; the elixir, or the attainment of internal refinement, of which Daoism speaks) is brought to completion.

A diagram of the twelve pitch-pipes (lülü; the twelve pitch-pipes of antiquity used to determine musical pitch).

Huangzhong (the reference pitch among the twelve standard pitches) corresponds to the seasonal timing of the eleventh month. Taking nine cun as the measure, one follows the method of thirds and subtracts one-third, thus producing Linzhong; corresponding to the sixth month, one then adds one-third, producing Taicu. Corresponding to the first month, one subtracts one-third, producing Nanlü; corresponding to the eighth month, one adds one-third, producing Guxi. Corresponding to the third month, one subtracts one-third, producing Yingzhong; corresponding to the tenth month, one adds one-third, producing Wuyi. Corresponding to the ninth month, one subtracts one-third, producing Jiazhong; corresponding to the second month, one adds one-third, producing Yize. Corresponding to the seventh month, one subtracts one-third, producing Dalü; corresponding to the twelfth month, one adds one-third, producing Ruibin.

The original text then continues: “Corresponding to the seasonal timing of the fifth month, one adds one-third, producing Yize.” It subsequently says that, corresponding to the second month, one adds one-third, producing Yize; corresponding to the seventh month, one subtracts one-third, producing Dalü; corresponding to the twelfth month, one adds one-third, producing Ruibin; and, corresponding to the fifth month, one subtracts one-third, producing Qinggong. The length of Huangzhong is ninety fen; subtracting fifty-seven fen produces Zhonglü. Zhonglü corresponds to the seasonal timing of the fourth month and produces Zhishi; Zhishi produces Qumie; and Qumie produces Nanshi.

From the pitch of Huangzhong to that of Yingzhong, there are twelve pitch-pipes in all. Qinggong, Zhishi, Qumie, and Nanshi come at the end of the sequence of pitch-pipes and are therefore appended here.

End of the second volume of the Taigu ji (Collection of Great Antiquity).

The original lacked a title. This title has been supplied on the basis of Hao Datong’s own preface.

Taigu ji, Volume Three

Composed by Hao Datong, the Guangningzi (Master of Guangning)

Diagram of Qian and Kun Giving Birth to the Six Children

The Qian trigram (☰) belongs to Old Yang, and the Kun trigram (☷) belongs to Old Yin. When the Qian and Kun trigrams conjoin, they produce six child trigrams. When Qian receives one portion of Yin Qi (vital energy) from Kun, it generates the Xun trigram (☴), representing the eldest daughter; when it receives two portions of Yin Qi, it generates the Li trigram (☲), representing the middle daughter; when it receives three portions of Yin Qi, it generates the Dui trigram (☱), representing the youngest daughter. When Kun receives one portion of Yang Qi from Qian, it generates the Zhen trigram (☳), representing the eldest son; when it receives two portions of Yang Qi, it generates the Kan trigram (☵), representing the middle son; when it receives three portions of Yang Qi, it generates the Gen trigram (☶), representing the youngest son. Thus it is said that Qian gives birth to the three daughters Xun, Li, and Dui, while Kun gives birth to the three sons Zhen, Kan, and Gen.

Diagram of the Line Numbers of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) Constituting the Year

The Qian trigram is composed of three long lines. Each Yang line is assigned the number nine, and three times nine equals twenty-seven. When Qian is doubled to form six lines, each line is still assigned the number nine, and six times nine equals fifty-four. This is the method for calculating the line numbers of Qian. The Kun trigram is composed of three short lines. Each Yin line is assigned the number six, and three times six equals eighteen. When Kun is doubled to form six lines, each line is still assigned the number six, and six times six equals thirty-six. This is the method for calculating the line numbers of Kun.

This shows that a Yang line is called “nine” and a Yin line is called “six.” Taking into account as well the six trigrams Zhen, Kan, Gen, Xun, Li, and Dui, and calculating according to the differences among their Yin-Yang lines, each trigram obtains its own numerical value. The numerical values of the Bagua total three hundred and sixty; half of this is one hundred and eighty, which is used to symbolize the number of the year.

Diagram of the Twenty-Four Added to the Two Images of Qian and Kun, Showing the Increase and Decrease of Yin-Yang

The numerical values of the Bagua total three hundred and sixty; half of this is one hundred and eighty, which is used to symbolize the number of the year.

At the winter solstice, one Yang begins to grow, forming the hexagram Fu (Return). At Great Cold, two Yang begin to grow, forming the hexagram Lin (Approach). At Rain Water, three Yang begin to grow, forming the hexagram Tai (Peace). At the spring equinox, four Yang begin to grow, forming the hexagram Dazhuang (Great Power). At Grain Rain, five Yang begin to grow, forming the hexagram Guai (Breakthrough). At Lesser Fullness, Yang Qi (vital energy) reaches pure fullness, forming the hexagram Qian (Heaven). At the summer solstice, one Yin begins to grow, forming the hexagram Gou (Coming to Meet). At Great Heat, two Yin begin to grow, forming the hexagram Dun (Retreat). At the End of Heat, three Yin begin to grow, forming the hexagram Pi (Standstill). At the autumn equinox, four Yin begin to grow, forming the hexagram Guan (Contemplation). At Frost Descent, five Yin begin to grow, forming the hexagram Bo (Splitting Apart). At Lesser Snow, Yin Qi reaches pure fullness, and the hexagram Kun (Earth) presides. This is what is meant by increase within decrease, and decrease within increase.

A diagram of the Six Children (the six gua Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui) changing with the twenty-four solar terms.

The two gua Qian and Kun symbolize the fundamental working of the movement of Heaven and Earth. If the principle in them has not yet been fully explained, one goes on to speak of how the sun and moon travel, how wind and thunder emerge and withdraw, and how mountains and lakes open into communication or fall into blockage. On the basis of these six gua, one may also explain the pattern of change followed by the three sons and three daughters (Zhen, Kan, and Gen being the three sons; Xun, Li, and Dui the three daughters): likewise taking the winter solstice as the starting point, Yang changes into Yin and Yin changes into Yang; at the summer solstice, Yin changes into Yang and Yang changes into Yin. Yin-Yang interweave as they move, each changing according to its own pattern; through change they open into one another, and in this way the work by which the myriad things are transformed and brought forth is made manifest. This originally issues from the governance of Wuwei (non-action); it comes about of itself.

A diagram of the repeated transformations of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

The hexagram Qian begins to change from the first line, yielding the hexagram Gou; changing the second line yields the hexagram Dun; changing the third line yields the hexagram Pi; changing the fourth line yields the hexagram Guan; changing the fifth line yields the hexagram Bo. These changes proceed from the bottom upward until the fifth line, where change reaches its limit. After the hexagram Bo, the change turns and proceeds from the top downward; this is called the “wandering soul,” yielding the hexagram Jin (Progress). After the hexagram Jin, the three lines of the lower trigram change at the same time, and it becomes the hexagram Dayou (Great Possession), called the “returning-soul hexagram.” The changes of the other hexagrams follow this same pattern.

Diagram of the Sixty Jiazi Superimposed on the Hexagram Images

As Heaven and Earth revolve, they transform and give birth to the myriad things, among which human beings are the most precious. Heaven, Earth, and humanity together are called the Three Powers (Sancai). The Heavenly Stems, the Earthly Branches, and the nayin are matched with one another to form the sixty Jiazi, the sexagenary cycle.

From the two hexagrams Qian and Kun are derived the sixty-four hexagrams. The changes of the hexagram lines number 11,520 in all, and these are used to symbolize the patterns of the myriad things. Among the many hexagram images, the hexagram Zhun is taken as the rule of beginning. The sixty Jiazi are coordinated with one another, while the sixty-four hexagrams run through the conditions and natures of the myriad things, displaying such changes as good and ill fortune, regret, anxiety, safety and danger, and gain and loss in affairs of every kind.

Diagram of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Superimposed on the Hexagram Images

Beginning from the winter solstice, the hexagram Zhongfu symbolizes sincerity, indicating that Yang Qi (vital energy) begins to sprout; at the summer solstice, the hexagram Xian symbolizes sympathetic response, indicating that Yin Qi begins to grow. The hexagram images therefore advance with the twenty-four solar terms. A year totals 360 days, and this constitutes the cycle of the year’s seasonal course.

A year is ordinarily reckoned as 354 days, and the accumulated difference is then adjusted by intercalary days. From the winter solstice through one full year, the actual length is about 365 and one-quarter days. Each day corresponds to the movement of one line, and six days and one-seventh of a day make up one hexagram; only when the intercalary remainder is added can the full calendrical count of the year be completed. The four hexagrams Kan, Zhen, Li, and Dui belong to the Four Cardinals (Sizheng), the principal positions corresponding to the four directions and the four seasons, and are not included in this scheme of calculation.

Diagram in Which the Five Phases Are Fully Provided

The Five Phases (Wuxing; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are complete. Matched with the Three Powers and with the differing forms of the myriad things, and assigned to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and the four corner directions, they serve to explain the patterns by which things change. The four hexagrams Kan, Zhen, Li, and Dui belong to the Four Cardinals and are not included in this scheme of calculation.

When the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are all present, Heaven, Earth, and humanity—the Three Powers—and the myriad things each stand in their corresponding order, and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and the four directions each have their assigned place. From this, the workings of change in things can be explained. Every class of things has its own position, and each also has relations of generation and restraint; changes of accord and of reversal therefore arise.

For example, the eyes correspond to the liver. If one wishes to ease a reaction stirred by the emotion of anger, one may introduce the Qi (vital energy) of Metal. Metal corresponds to the lungs, and the lungs are associated with grief and weeping; to regulate by admonition and gentle counsel is to bring influence to bear through the relation of mutual restraint among the Five Phases. If Metal is not used, Fire may be used instead. Fire corresponds to the heart, and the heart is associated with joy and laughter; to meet and guide anger with joy, so that the anger gradually subsides, is to draw on the relation of mutual generation among the Five Phases. Other cases may be understood in the same way, and thus the principles of accord and reversal, and of generation and restraint, among the Five Phases can be set forth.

Diagram of the Generating Numbers of Heaven and Earth

Heaven belongs to Yang and Earth to Yin. When Yin and Yang conjoin, generation takes place; once the myriad things have come into being, each has its place. The heavenly number one joins with the earthly number four and thereby gives birth; the heavenly number three joins with the earthly number two and thereby brings growth. From the numbers of birth and growth, the dispositions of Heaven and Earth can be seen. Thus it is said that when Heaven and Earth join, the myriad things can move freely and thrive, and when Heaven and Earth do not join, the myriad things cannot.

Here the Yang numbers are one, three, and five, and the Yin numbers are four and two; Yin and Yang together make fifteen. Yin and Yang each occupy one half, and from this the Dao (the Way) of Heaven and Earth is formed. These numbers embody the principle of generation and growth, and so they are called “generating numbers.”

Diagram of the Completing Numbers of Heaven and Earth

Earth belongs to Yin. By receiving the Yang Qi of Heaven, it can bring to completion the changes of the myriad things from beginning to end. At the outset the myriad things lie hidden; at the end they become manifest and stir into motion. All of this is a natural process.

The Yin numbers of Earth are six, eight, and ten, and the Yang numbers of Heaven are seven and nine. The earthly number six joins with the heavenly number nine and thereby reaches completion; the earthly number eight joins with the heavenly number seven and thereby comes to fulfillment. The completing numbers embody the dispositions of Heaven and Earth. The heavenly number five and the earthly number ten interpenetrate and together constitute their number. The numbers of Heaven and Earth add up to fifty-five, and serve to explain the principle by which the myriad things pass from generation and growth, through completion, to the changes of ending and beginning.

Diagram of the Five Movements

The Five Movements proceed in sequence. Matched with the ten Heavenly Stems, they form five kinds of Qi (vital energy) circulation that move in interaction with one another. The numbers of Heaven and Earth total fifty-five, and these qi-numbers drive all things to grow, mature, come to an end, and begin again.

Diagram of the Five Movements

The Five Movements rotate through the ten Heavenly Stems and form five kinds of qi circulation. In Jia and Ji years, for example, the Earth Movement presides, appearing as the qi of qian heaven (the color name for heaven used in the original text); the other years follow in the same way.

The celestial signs of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) correspond to the five planets, so the Five Movements can also be distinguished by watching how the five planets move. When the Year Star (Jupiter) retrogrades, it corresponds to the Wood Movement; when the Sparkling Deluder (Mars) retrogrades, it corresponds to the Fire Movement; when Great White (Venus) retrogrades, it corresponds to the Metal Movement; when the Chronogram Star (Mercury) retrogrades, it corresponds to the Water Movement; when the Quelling Star (Saturn) retrogrades, it corresponds to the Earth Movement. Following the regular patterns of the five planets’ motions, the Five Movements are assigned to the ten Heavenly Stems. The planets’ motions also include differing conditions such as lying hidden, suddenly appearing, moving slowly, standing still, and retrograding.

Diagram of the Six Qi

The Six Qi are the six qi of the Three Yang and the Three Yin. They circulate according to the twelve Earthly Branches and are paired with one another in opposition. In Yin and Shen years, Shaoyang governs; in Mao and You years, Yangming governs; in Chen and Xu years, Taiyang governs; in Si and Hai years, Jueyin governs; in Zi and Wu years, Shaoyin governs; in Chou and Wei years, Taiyin governs.

Each year is further divided into six qi periods. When Shaoyang is in charge of Heaven (governing the celestial timing of the first half of the year), for example, Jueyin is at the spring (governing the earthly qi of the second half of the year); the other cases follow in the same way. Each qi lasts about sixty days.

Diagram of the Four Images

The Four Images further explain the patterns of the movements of Heaven and Earth and of the sun and moon, and they correspond to the numbers six, seven, eight, and nine. When Qian is in charge of Heaven (the qi corresponding to Qian governs celestial timing), for example, Jueyin is at the spring; the other cases follow in the same way. Each qi lasts about sixty days.

The so-called “Four Images” (Sixiang) use the transformations of Yin and Yang to explain the principles by which Heaven and Earth, the sun and the moon, move, and they employ the numbers six, seven, eight, and nine to represent the different states of the yin and yang lines (yao). The old yang (laoyang) of the Qian hexagram is called “nine,” and the old yin (laoyin) of the Kun hexagram is called “six”; the young yang (shaoyang) of the Qian hexagram is called “seven,” and the young yin (shaoyin) of the Kun hexagram is called “eight.”

The Qian hexagram has six lines. Reckoning each line as nine and then multiplying by four, the six lines come to thirty-six stalks (ce) in all. The Kun hexagram likewise has six lines. Reckoning each line as six and then multiplying by four, the six lines come to twenty-four stalks in all. The yang lines of Qian total one hundred ninety-two, and the yin lines of Kun likewise total one hundred ninety-two. The two together amount to eleven thousand five hundred twenty stalks, used to correspond to the number of the myriad things.

Diagram of the Northern Dipper Overlaid upon the Monthly General (Yuejiang)

Heaven displays the various celestial phenomena and takes Beichen (the North Star) as its pivot, commanding the host of stars so that their movements never lose their proper order in time. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper (Beidou) are each distributed in different directions; the number over which they preside is called eleven thousand five hundred twenty stalks, used to correspond to the myriad things.

Diagram of the Northern Dipper Overlaid upon the Monthly General (Yuejiang)

Heaven displays the various celestial phenomena and takes Beichen (the North Star) as its pivot, commanding the host of stars so that their movements never lose their proper order in time. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper are each stationed in their own positions: the bowl of the Dipper (Doukui, the stars at the front of the Dipper) rests upon the forward end of the Shen lunar mansion (Shenxiu); the handle of the Dipper (Doubiao, the handle-shaped portion at the end of the Dipper) encircles the Dragon’s Horn; and the Dipper as a whole lies across the region of the constellation Cancer. From this it can be known that the first star of the Northern Dipper is called the Kui star, and the seventh star is called the Biao star. From the Kui star to the Biao star there are seven stars in all, distributed over the stellar positions corresponding to the seven palaces of the south. Hence it is said that the Xu position is called Hekui (River Kui), and the Chen position is called Tiangang (Heavenly Dipper); arranged along seven places among the twelve earthly branches (chen), they symbolize the seven stars of the Northern Dipper.

Diagram of the Degrees of the Sun’s Course through the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Overlaid upon the Nine Paths (Jiudao)

At the winter solstice, the sun moves to the Ox lunar mansion (Qianniu); at the summer solstice, it moves to the Eastern Well lunar mansion (Dongjing). The position of the Ox mansion is called the Southern Pole star, and the position of the Eastern Well mansion is called the Northern Pole chronogram. From the Northern Pole to the Southern Pole, the sun by turns contracts and extends, passing through the twenty-four solar terms, traversing the twenty-eight lunar mansions, and spreading across the full circle of heaven of three hundred sixty-five and one-quarter degrees, while circulating along the nine paths. By this one can explain the operation of the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang and clarify the principle of rising, falling, and transformation. All of these are the regular patterns of the sun’s motion.

The sun completes one circuit in a year, and the moon completes one circuit in a month. Thus the sun’s motion has its excesses and shortfalls, and the moon’s motion its swiftness and slowness. Each day the sun advances one degree and the moon thirteen degrees, a difference of about twelve degrees; this symbolizes the twelve months that together make up a year. Over twelve years the sun completes the twelve cycles of heaven. The moon’s motion differs: in a year without an intercalary month the moon completes twelve circuits, and when there is an intercalary month it completes thirteen. The moon therefore actually advances about twelve degrees and thirty-seven parts each day. The remainders produced by the motions of the sun and the moon form the intercalary month.

The Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and humanity) symbolize the turning of the three altars...

Heaven, Earth, and humanity correspond respectively to Heaven as the first, Earth as the second, and humanity as the third. What is here called the Three Powers, however, does not follow the sequence of one, two, and three, but rather the three classes of upper, middle, and lower. The upper grade corresponds to the myriad phenomena of Heaven and serves to explain the ten Heavenly Stems. The middle grade corresponds to the myriad affairs of human beings. Because human beings stand beneath Heaven and above Earth, they occupy the middle, and this grade serves to explain such things as the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). The lower grade corresponds to the myriad things of Earth and serves to explain the twelve Earthly Branches. Taken together, these three grades exactly account for the Three Powers.

The Yi says: “There is the Dao (the Way) of Heaven, there is the Dao of humanity, and there is the Dao of Earth.” The Dao of Heaven is vast, the Dao of Earth is grand, and the Dao of humanity possesses a fully rounded function. Although the Dao of Heaven is vast, if human beings do not model themselves upon it, the Dao of Heaven cannot become manifest. Although the Dao of Earth is grand, if human beings do not follow it, the Dao of Earth cannot be brought to completion. Only human beings can emulate the principles of Heaven and Earth, cause the myriad things to change and transform, and move the myriad affairs to rise or decline. This, too, comes precisely from that.

Here ends juan 3 of the Taigu ji.

Juan 4 of the Taigu ji, composed by Guangningzi Hao Datong.

Poems on the Golden Elixir

The spirit of emptiness governs the myriad spirits. It is the source before Heaven and Earth appeared, and it circulates the essential radiance of the sun and moon. It arrays images of light and displays the patterns of Heaven, bringing the myriad things into being and transforming their forms. It advances the years and the sequence of the seasons and, according to the needs of the myriad things, carries out the work of generation. It reaches into what is elusive and hard to fathom, and in the deep and hidden darkness it impels transformation. Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) spread forth their nurturing transformation and guide all living beings. Its Dao is profound and mysterious, and it is the foundation of cultivation for the worthy and the sages.

The First

How many people of resolve are there in the universe? Only divine spirits and sages can take the Dao as their standard. Through the Dao of Wuwei (non-action), they skillfully enter the innate nature of all living beings and alone open the furnace of creative transformation, so that Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things may be brought into being through change.

One does not chase the willow catkins in the east wind, nor let the autumn moon shine upon a mind as clear as an ice-jade flask. The Golden Elixir (Jindan)—the coalesced substance of Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) sought in Neidan (internal alchemy)—circulates to the Niwan cavity, an important acupoint of the head, and one’s name was from the beginning recorded in the Jade Capital, the palace halls of the immortal realm spoken of in Daoism.

The Second

Five added to five: the Qi of pure Yang is already full and complete, and cultivation has succeeded. One takes as the foundation the celestial image of the fulfilled Qian hexagram. The bodily form descends and enters straight into the depths of the dark sea; form and Shen (spirit) become one and rise into a realm of profound stillness.

If one encounters the Kan male—the cultivational image symbolizing the Kan trigram and associated with Water—one rides a white deer. If one cultivates by Wuwei (non-action), the Li female—the cultivational image symbolizing the Li trigram and associated with Fire—mounts an azure dragon. One should wait three thousand days, until the crane transforms into a tortoise and stone turns into pine.

The Third

The omens of the red rat and the black snake are rarely seen in the world; at this moment the immortals disclose the secrets of Heaven. With a single clap of thunder, three mountain peaks split apart; when the sun rises, the four seas all behold the same light.

This means that the old man shows white hair, and one also hears that the ruddy infant—the cultivational image likened to an infant—wears azure robes. The crane transforms into a tortoise, and stone turns into pine.

The Third

The omens of the red rat and the black snake are rarely seen in the world; at this moment the immortals disclose the secrets of Heaven. With a single clap of thunder, three mountain peaks split apart; when the sun rises, the four seas all behold the same light.

This means that the old man shows white hair, and one also hears that the ruddy infant wears azure robes. The master explains the truth within this, and further passes on these words: “The young gentleman has come too late.”

The Fourth

The yellow sheep becomes a white ape; the fierce tiger leaves its tracks, waiting for the red ox to appear. The rabbit is in the cave, and the wildcat is in the fire; the place where the mysterious is fully penetrated is precisely the fundamental origin of the Dao (the Way).

Numinous nature is born and reveals its traces, shifting as the times move on. Through twelve years spring departs and spring returns, and then another sixty years pass. The Qi of the Dao returns to oneself, just as one meets a true and intimate friend; they pledge to meet at the immortal gathering of Penglai and set out for Yingzhou.

The Fifth

Within the number one-seven one passes through the years of nine and six, and only then understands that one’s own destiny is not decreed by Heaven. With the Blazing Wind Cauldron—the cauldron in Neidan cultivation that symbolizes smelting and transformation—one melts the red snow; with the Reclining Moon Furnace—the furnace that symbolizes refining and nurturing—one refines the auspicious lotus.

Pillowed aslant beside the winding river, just upon waking one finds that the dark sea has already three times turned into mulberry fields. The former experiences of the Nanke dream and of the yellow millet not yet cooked are told to the primordial immortals of Mount Kunyu.

The Sixth

When the fixed stars no longer appear, that is the Tathagata, the awakened one. Beyond stillness and peace there are further stages of cultivation. The Gen palace—the direction and cultivational image corresponding to the Gen trigram—undergoes four transformations and brings a mysterious form to completion. Reversing the bodily form and transforming life, one finally arrives at the true fetal origin, the realm in cultivation that symbolizes the source of life.

If those who cultivate and study can grasp this “mind-seal” (the fundamental method comprehended in the heart), those who awaken will understand the reason and the intelligence it contains. Once the allegorical meaning of the “bow and arrow” here is understood, the principles of a thousand scriptures and ten thousand discourses can all be penetrated together.

Section Seven

In the third month thunder rumbles once or twice, and only then does one know that the ghosts and spirits of all under heaven have been shaken. The wind, borrowing the momentum of the clouds, travels three thousand li in the turn of an eye; the tiger, relying on the majesty of the dragon, ranges over ninety thousand li.

At the gateway of the transformations of the myriad things, it holds the place of master; between heaven and earth in the eight directions, it arranges and sets things in motion. Within the Zhen hexagram, the inner and outer images and lines are all stirred, and the August Lord of Supreme De (Virtue/Power)—the exalted deity symbolizing the highest virtue—manifests his title as well.

Section Eight

The cauldron vessel (the implement used in refining the elixir) has from ancient times come in six kinds, three of which are the crucial forms: one tilted, one set on its side, and one securely encircling and joined. The golden bar and the jade substance (gold and jade as figures for the excellence of the vessel) match one another, serving the sages, nurturing the worthies, and used to refine the auspicious elixir.

By turning the image of Wind-and-Fire Family (the image of the Family hexagram in the Book of Changes) back upon oneself, one can change bodily form, transform physical substance, and alter appearance. It should be known that the cauldron vessel has from ancient times come in six kinds, three of whose forms are the tilted, the side-set, and the secure ring. The golden bar and the jade substance match one another, serving the sages and nurturing the worthies, and are used to refine the auspicious elixir.

When the image of Wind-and-Fire Family is turned back to illuminate oneself, one can change bodily form, transform physical substance, and alter appearance. One must understand that cooking and refining already have a new method; once the methods of the Dao (the Way) of Zhongli (the Daoist immortal Zhongli Quan) have been received and transmitted, cultivating the Way is not difficult.

Section Nine

The house of Dui has one hexagram, called the Returning-Soul hexagram (a class of hexagram in the Book of Changes). Through it one can reverse old age and prolong life, and there is yet another path of cultivation. The young woman (symbolizing the yin side) must await the proper time for marriage; on the day the eldest son (symbolizing the yang side) joins in union, a great-grandson can be seen.

A mouth set once more within a mouth—how is one to speak of it? There is yet another body outside the body—how can words explain it? Do not say that divine immortals are nowhere to be sought; after form and traces are cast off, the Dao ever abides.

Section Ten

Only after three thousand jiazi (a jiazi is sixty years; three thousand jiazi symbolize an extremely long span of time) does a single immortal appear. He is the root of heaven and earth, and also the wondrous power of creative transformation. With but a single finger he can grasp Yin-Yang; as he turns the myriad things, from the whole down to the finest dust, all lies within his grasp.

There may well arise the case in which the father is young while the son, by contrast, is old; one may suppose that those deviant spirits are perhaps precisely what is real. Once the principle of reversal and transformation within the wondrous mechanism is understood, heaven and earth inside the jar are always joyful and at ease.

Section Eleven

The azure dragon and the white tiger contend and have never ceased; the young woman drives the eldest son to turn back. Often lowering the body and raising it again, one contemplates the Yellow Court (a key site of cultivation within the human body); yet who knows that the Jade Door (a portal within the body, also an inner aperture in cultivation) is silently harboring a profound mystery?

Red lotuses bloom again and again within the precious vase; a lion moves hidden along the bottom of the black-jade pool. A strongman seizes it and brings it back to the grotto residence; the host of spirits lines up in ranks, each striving to come forward and pay homage.

Section Twelve

The Eight Trigrams (Bagua) join with one another and so fix the places of host and guest; the mutual engendering and overcoming among the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) serve to verify the places of ruler and minister. The azure luan bursts into the cavern of the fire dragon, and the crimson phoenix flies in to swallow the body of the Metal tiger.

When husband and wife unite, the musical pitches are brought into harmony; when father and son are concordant, one can attain a harmony that is central, correct, and pure. All of this comes about because Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) can be kept hold of throughout. Between one exhalation and one inhalation they meet, merge, and circulate freely, refining a single inch of true Jing (essence).

Thirteen

If one wishes to know how the measures of cinnabar (the medicinal substance used in refining the elixir) are to be combined, one must match the Three Marvels (three symbols in the Qimen numerical arts) according to the directions of west, south, north, and the rest. In the Palace of Nine Yangs the golden gate is opened, and before the Hall of Six Yins the jade pool is stirred.

Reckoned zhu by zhu, they amount in all to three hundred and eighty-four zhu; each jin is divided into sixteen liang, and all of this must be known. Applied at the proper times, before noon and after midnight, ten thousand rays of rosy light then envelop a jade-like radiance.

Fourteen

Lead and mercury must be clearly distinguished in their Yin-Yang character, just as half a jin of silver is joined with half a jin of gold. Fire-clouds fly into the nostrils of the Cowherd, and the frosty moon pierces the heart of the Weaving Maid.

When divine water (the name, in cultivation, for Jing, Qi, fluids, and saliva) is stored up, the golden well grows full; when the source of the Dao (the Way) shines clear, the jade spring becomes deep and broad. Rising and descending, sinking and floating, reversing and turning, show that the fire and water represented by the Li and Kan trigrams act upon each other. For one who has not yet understood, where else is there to seek?

Fifteen

The essence of the sun is in the east and the radiance of the moon in the west: this is precisely the time when elixir Qi is at its height. The fair one of two and eight displays a graceful bearing, and the gentleman of nine and three shows forth a dignified air.

Crystal curtains hang beside steps paved with pearls; banners of agate drape among hangings of jadeite. If one asks where these scenes originally belong, they have never left the Tower of the Seven Stars (a symbolic realm of cultivation).

Sixteen

To whose house does the daogui (a unit of measure for medicines used in elixir refining) originally belong? The crimson phoenix, with Shen gathered, gazes upon the evening glow. Grasses and trees along the bank, meeting it, take on the hue of auspicious signs; stones at the head of the shoal, meeting it, congeal into numinous cinnabar.

Many times it has taken rhinoceros horn from the Northern Sea, and again and again it has gathered elephant ivory at the southern shore. There is a sight still more worthy of admiration: within the Celestial Pool, golden flowers bloom.

Seventeen

What, one may ask, is most fitting? It lies in the moment of seizing marvelous efficacy and according with the workings of creation. The tiger crouches beside the emerald pool as the winds cross and interlace; the dragon coils within the vermilion grotto as the rain falls in abundance.

After the cloud-flowers scatter, thunder comes to rest; dew drips down and congeals into whisker-like forms, the stars are mirrored in the Celestial Pool, and golden flowers bloom.

What counts as most fitting? How can one seize wondrous efficacy and attain a realm in harmony with the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth? A tiger crouches beside an emerald pool, the winds crossing and mingling; a flood-dragon coils within a vermilion cavern, the rain streaming down.

The clouds disperse and the thunder subsides; dew condenses into whisker-like strands, and the stars and the Dipper turn with them. One waits until a band of light, white as a length of silk, appears in the east, and colored clouds lift forth the morning sun.

The atmosphere of honest simplicity and pure stillness is lofty and expansive, unlike the ways of the world. If one cannot penetrate its profound and subtle principle, one will call it empty nothingness. Those who grasp its inner mood can only savor the poetic feeling alone; and how many truly understand the heartfelt words of the Dao (the Way)?

All this comes about because people cling to their own preconceived views and lose their original, authentic nature. The atmosphere of honest simplicity therefore dissipates, and they fail to understand the style of the Dao handed down through teaching. Although a single Golden Elixir (the refined essence completed through Neidan, or internal alchemy) may rest in the furnace, without the foundation for cultivating immortality one will, it is feared, never fully see through it.

In the Yangjiu Palace there is a monk of great awakening (a monk of profound enlightenment). He sits upright, raises both fists, and recites the Huangting Jing (a Daoist scripture). Divine light pierces the void; auspicious Qi (vital energy), clear and condensed, takes the form of a precious vase.

He feasts and roams among the grotto-heavens and blessed lands, displaying spiritual powers that extend throughout the Dharma-realm and exercise numinous authority. Awakening from this to the “meaning come from the West” (the true intent of the Buddha-dharma, as spoken of in Chan), one understands: before the chaos in which Heaven and Earth had not yet divided, how could there have been any form?

To cultivate immortality one must refine the Golden Elixir, placing lead and mercury (terms in Neidan used to stand for Yin-Yang, Jing (essence), Qi, and the like) in the cauldron. The phases of firing are applied in proper sequence so that the celestial circuit revolves; year by year one accumulates the work and does not delay.

One preserves and nourishes Jing and Shen (spirit), first quieting the mind within; one regulates the breath and does not let the place beneath the tongue grow dry. Never lax through all twelve double-hours, one can naturally keep body and mind, together with nature and life, intact.

The five Qi (the Qi of the Five Phases—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) dwell in a single palace and unite as one household, supporting and circulating with one another, so that clouds and mist arise. When the carriage travels the great road of Chang’an, why worry that it cannot go far and high? Precious provisions ever remain within the clear light of the cassia moon.

Lead and mercury intermingle, forming the finest auspicious signs; Qi unites with the numinous wisdom of Shen and crystallizes into cinnabar. The wondrous function of Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) practice accords with the mysterious function of the Dao; one drinks freely of immortal wine like flowing rose-clouds, and colored light shines all around.

How can one drink a single mouthful of the daogui (a minute dose used to figure the immortal medicine, or the refined essence of Neidan)? Even without a sheep that sheds blood, one can reach this realm. The Qi of mountain and marsh communicate, and clouds rise from the valleys; earthly Qi joins with heavenly Qi, and grasses and trees grow and climb.

Kan and Li (which, among the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams, represent water and fire and also symbolize Yin-Yang) are paired, and one must know how to employ them in reverse. Dragon and tiger (in Neidan, the two powers that represent Yin and Yang) circulate back and forth, and the boundary between awakening and delusion becomes clear. If one can grasp the principle of the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang within this, one can naturally ascend the clouds from level ground and enter the realm of the immortals.

One often hears, from within the pot, a sound as of metal and stone striking together; once ordinary feelings and thoughts have faded, the mind of the Dao (the Way) arises. After the yang spirit (the pure yang Shen (spirit) spoken of in cultivation) reaches fullness, one is no longer drowsy and on the point of sleep; when the yin po (the soul associated with yin, turbidity, and stagnation) disperses, mind and spirit grow still clearer.

A lotus springing up in the midst of fire may still be counted possible; what is asked is to lay level ground upon the water, so that a person may walk treading the clouds and roseate mists.

Twenty-Three

One often hears, from within the pot, a sound as of metal and stone striking together; once ordinary feelings and thoughts have faded, the mind of the Dao arises. After the yang spirit reaches fullness, one is no longer drowsy and on the point of sleep; when the yin po disperses, mind and spirit grow still clearer.

A lotus growing in fire is still possible, and congealing into a solid mass within water can certainly be done as well. When the two powers of Yin-Yang merge in perfect harmony, the cultivator can securely drive the cloud chariot and proceed to Yujing (the immortal realm of Daoist legend).

Twenty-Four

Leisurely one draws the golden crow (the Jing (essence) within the sun, often used to stand for yang Qi (vital energy)) to meet the moon palace; when the two happen to join, perfect harmony is reached. The light of the spirit shines through the clear and empty fundamental being, and the mysterious Dao breaks the bonds of cosmic fashioning.

Only then does the conscious mind know that it was but a passing guest lodged in a tiny hut like a snail’s shell; only then does the eye of wisdom see the true host. From this one realizes that the body itself is a burden; only by not clinging to empty fame can one be said to have penetrated the great Dao.

Twenty-Five

In cultivating the Dao one must first cut off outward show and vanity; cultivating the true and nourishing the plain is what the immortals practice. Forgetting feelings and thoughts is for the sake of refining the golden liquor; stilling deliberation is for the sake of refining and nourishing purple sand (an elixir image in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy)).

One returns innate nature to its source and gathers the five Qi; one lets the myriad spirits assemble at the crown of the head and manifest the three flowers (a symbol, in Daoist cultivation, of the refined gathering of Jing, Qi, and Shen). From this one sets out on the path of long life, forever merging into the colored clouds of the clear, bright sky.

Twenty-Six

To leave the household and cultivate the Dao, seeking immortality with a single mind, one must receive the oral instructions transmitted by a true master. The lead that flies within the furnace must be constantly secured and harmonized, while the mercury congealing in the cauldron must be kept fresh and lively.

One turns flowing gold into powder so as to dissolve the dragon bones; dripping dew congeals into frost, causing the jade saliva (a technical term of cultivation, referring to the fluids generated within the body) to increase.

Twenty-Six

To leave the household and cultivate the Dao, seeking immortality with a single mind, one must receive the oral instructions transmitted by a true master. The lead that flies within the furnace must be constantly secured and harmonized, while the mercury congealing in the cauldron must be kept fresh and lively.

One turns flowing gold into powder so as to dissolve the dragon bones; dripping dew congeals into frost, causing the jade saliva to increase. Once the mirror of the mind has been tempered, it becomes bright and thoroughly clear, and the original true nature naturally appears in full perfection.

Twenty-Seven

In cultivation one must not force a pretense of carefree ease, nor merely keep to loneliness in an empty room. In the Purple Prefecture (the dwelling of the immortals spoken of in Daoism) one does not let the host of tigers contend with one another; in the elixir palace (the seat of Neidan within the cultivator’s body) one can bring the myriad spirits to court.

When roaming the mountains one can often reach the road of the blue heavens; when crossing water one can always mount the bridge made of hollowed wood (a boat-bridge fashioned by hollowing out a tree). Once the lingzhi is gathered, one regularly takes it—why then hang up a food sack, as do those who live in seclusion beneath the woods?

Twenty-Eight

Within the gourd appears a wondrous scene of the Three-in-One—in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), the teaching that Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) are united. A long-browed elder sits gazing at pine and bamboo. Draped in a six-zhu robe, that gossamer garment of heaven, in crimson splendor, he manifests a body of golden form; within the twelve-storied tower, the Daoist term for the throat, he drinks jade nectar, the fluids spoken of in cultivation.

White cranes beside the trees again and again bow and lift their heads, while a tortoise at the edge of the pool floats up and down at ease. A spirit lad comes forward, treading the Kan steps—a pace associated with the Kan trigram—and offers the master a broth that prolongs life.

No. 29

Primordial Qi, the root Qi by which Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things, blends and condenses into a pure, clear body, and the roseate lights of the five directions emerge from the colored clouds. The Golden Elixir (Jindan) is refined to completion, and one becomes an adept of pure Yang; watered by jade liquid, the flower that knows no night bursts into bloom.

White snow lies heaped within the Gate of the Formless, and in the Storehouse of the Void the yellow sprout is brought forth—in Neidan, an image of the elixir at its first arising. On the road of long life travelers are few; only immortals and followers of the Dao (the Way) walk there.

No. 30

A celestial wind blows open the tree peonies of Luoyang. Heaven and Earth and the four quarters follow one and the same Dao, and in purport there is no difference among them. In moments of leisure one gathers the tender stamens of the tree peony and simmers them; in stillness one collects the quintessence of the herbaceous peony and refines it.

When these two medicines are harmonized, they can clear and nourish Shen and Qi; with them one then nourishes the three fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers)—and partakes of wheat and hemp.

Taking wine, one goes to the feast; when the pleasure of the wine is spent, one departs on the impulse of the moment, riding a white deer into the clouds and roseate mists.